It's taken well over a year, but Hurt's Wonderful Life single finally gets an official video in the run up to the release next month. The Hurts camp have been clever in their mass global awareness campaign. Like a slow creeper, they've spread roots all over Europe. It remains to be seen whether or not it all pays off: the last stop before release, radio play seems to be non-existent. I find it very odd that Radio 1 are resolutely ignoring one of the most talked about bands of 2010. With a few weeks to go, it should be way up there on the playlist. A message to the band themselves though... "Don't let go. Never give up it's such a wonderful life"!
**UPDATE AUGUST 5th: Wonderful Life now on Radio 1's B-List!!!**
A friend of mine bemoaned the lack of updates here, "I suppose there's nothing new worth writing about though". Coming from the queen of the bright and shiny and all that's new, it's a big statement. But he and I both know there's loads of new stuff worth writing about, it's just we take our eyes of the horizon for a bit of a rest. And that's where we uncover hidden gems from the past. Or rather, it becomes the new discovery. And that quite neatly sums up the stunning collection of 33 (bloody Nora!) tracks Moon on a Mirrorball from Judie Tzuke .
Her name has always been always been synonymous with the UK's rock and pop pantheon, but weirdly, I couldn't recall any of her music. A chance encounter on a radio interview where they played her 1979 hit Stay With Me 'Til Dawn and THAT VOICE just lifted me. Yes, I actually elevated off my seat. And then I realised I knew her voice all along, usually in the back of a cab gurning all the way home at sunrise o'clock when the taxi driver's tuned into Magic or Heart or dressed in Mylo's clothes as Need You Tonite on his classic Destroy Rock and Roll album (quick aside: where the fluck has he gone?!?).
After 30 years as a singer/songwriter she's packaged her favourite tracks alongside new ones which is the PERFECT introduction for Judie Tzuke philistines. And the new stuff is KILLER. Take the introductory single If (When You Go). Her daughters Bailey, 23 (yes, the Freemasons singer on the glorious Uninvited) and Tallulah, 15, provide the angelic, ethereal backing vocals - one in each ear - with their mum front and centre with a deeper, resonant, slightly gravelly voice on a track co-written with Kylie's longtime collaborator Steve Anderson. His trademark strings do the business, sweeping and swooshing underneath this mammoth song.
Judie Tzuke's songs are like looking up into a blue sky to see jetstreams criss-crossing. They're the past and the future. And it's clear she has influenced a plethora of singer/songwriters with her music. Sia springs to mind immediately.
Go buy Moon on the Mirrorballhere. She's touring the UK in autumn and the gig in majestic Union Chapel in London promises to be vare special.
...oops, just saw the last blog post was April 17th. Tsk tsk. Well, there's been loads happening while I've been away, making music and shiz. I meant to post this video ages ago, so here it is; better late than never. I love the deluxe minimalism of this track So Lonely by Chris Sorbello. The production on it is top notch, especially the way they give her vocals the necessary ice cool sheen.
And so, for Independent Record Shop Day, here is my own first Top Ten. I happily trolled down to WH Smith for what were only 7" singles because, of course, an album didn't even figure in my pre-teen brain. I was always slightly disappointed when I didn't get the picture sleeve version and only realised years later that WH Smith was the one shop you were guaranteed to get the boring sleeve. I played these records on permanent rotation which is why they're etched into my brain.
1. New Musik - Living By Numbers Listen out for the Lorraine Chase-alike "They don't want your naaaaame" at 2.50.
8. Adam and the Ants - Young Parisians Do you see the start of a trend here? And this was a re-issue on the back of Antmusic.
9. Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver
10. The Human League - Don't You Want Me And so began the longest love affair... This is my favourite clip of their telly appearences, Christmas Top of the Pops 1981. Watch out for the silly string nearly choking Joanne at 3.00.
WHOOP! WHOOP! It's here at last! NyLon Woman the debut single by London's favourite 'tranny with a fanny', Holestar, is OUT NOW! And I'm screaming about it because I wrote it. You can read all about my involvement here. With a punk ethos that would have made Malcolm McLaren proud, Holestar is out to prove a point; namely, that the DIY route is so much easier in this digital age. For one, it's cheaper to produce than ever before and secondly, the reach to music fans is worldwide in a heartbeat. The blog love on this has been inspiring. Go on, have a read! FIZZYPOP POP TRASH ADDICTS MANHATTANCHESTER SILENCE IS A RHYTHM TOO XO'S MIDDLE EIGHT 2,000 FEET I AM SOHO FREAK CHIC To download the single now GO TO:iTunes UKand change your store if you're outside of the UK or to Amazon. It's even on Napster! What you waiting for? COME TO MAMA!
Thanks to a friend of mine whose finger is always on the throbbing pulse of gaydom, here's Hunx and His Punx. Below is their brand new single, You Don't Like Rock 'n' Roll which they're touring the UK promoting as I write. This San Franciscan has a great sound: like The Ramones teaching Martha Reeves and the Vandellas how to fist each other... It's fuzzy rock 'n' roll with a delicious queer taste. I can imagine John Waters watching the vids and chuckling, "That's my boy".
The whole ethos of being able to make any kind of music with any kind of lyric and get it out there, like Hunx and His Punx, is a fitting testament to Malcolm McLaren who died yesterday. These Punx live up to their name admirably.
Below is my favourite track (and video) of his (theirs?) called Cruising. The leather clone outfits are more fashion than sexy, but that's the point, methinks.
Look at these love eggs the Easter Bunny left behind.
Baby Can't Stop by Lindstrøm & Christabelle This gorgeous bumping track by the Norwegian duo has been somewhat overlooked since its release at the end of last year. But not in this house. Clicky here for a FREE mix by the magnificent Aeroplane, second only to Fred Falke in the remix stakes.
Columns by Silver Columns Another duo, this time from Scotland, were a mystery last year, releasing a series of 12-inch vinyl singles with no information attached. Chelsea Kelsey of Readers Wifes got me onto this one a couple of months ago saying how he couldn't stop playing it. And I know what he means. The news about Silver Columns is that an album is imminent. HiNRJ versions of Madonna tracks? Sounds too good to be true. I'll believe it when I hear it.
Can You Feel It?! by Slight Delay Gawd, a bit of house piano and I'm anyone's. This track has been around since last summer and because of its summery vibe, I've been using it to chase away those winter blues.
Acapella by Kelis Praise be, she's back. Gone is the faux hip-hop sex kitten. The creative diva has ragged that weave off and is pounding a Grace Jones drum. I really hope she strikes a chord with this one because we deserve a global star like Kelis v3.0. Now we can tell Rihanna to fuck off.
History by Groove Armada Out of a patchy Groove Armada album (and that pains me to say it) comes this absolute gem. I can't write enough superlatives about this Will Young collaboration other than it's right up my back passage. Will sounds like a drug-addled club singer on History and if he's clever, he'll build on this sound for his next album. It suits him.
Live the Life You've Imagined by Jon Pleased Wimmen Last month saw me screaming about Jon Pleased Wimmen's band Voyagers, but this track, on his MySpace was the one that grabbed my attention first. You know how much I foam at the gash for synth pop, well, here's why! It's accomplished and I want more.
Momma's Place (Microfilm Remix) by Microfilm Roisin Murphy's stomping single gets that rarest of remixes: one which (shh) betters the original! Hit repeat and it's a gift that keeps on giving from the PSB slashing synth to the mournful strings at the end. There's also a very clever and sophisticated drum track which pops up about 1.49 - where numb nuts here left a comment. Sublime. It makes me want to hear all of their remixes now. And if you click on the dark arrow to the right, you can download for FREE!
Which is a shame, because this lot had another few in them. First up is: Scarlet Fantastic - No Memory No. 24 October 1987 Borne from the trio Swans Way (their biggest hit was Soul Train) Maggie De Monde and Rick P. Jones were the classic 80s duo: charismatic singer with moody musician. The video below cut old footage of London with the updated 1987 version; a much better concept than the "We're so wild we're caged up in this (pretend) jail".
Desireless - Voyage Voyage No. 5 May 1988 A synth classic complete with an iconic-looking singer. So why didn't Desireless catch on? The flop follow-up John was OK, but not great. But really, there's only so many French language songs the UK charts can handle.
Housemaster Boyz - House Nation No. 8 Sep 1987 After Steve 'Silk' Hurley's Jack Your Body hit number 1 at the beginning of the year, 1987, house music dominated the charts. The videos were annoying and some of the arrangements don't hold up to scrutiny in 2010, but this one does well on both counts. I loved this track. The video does away with the crappy twenties flappers footage. I remember it being as dark as the track itself. It's the kind of record you'd find dancing to itself in the shadowy recesses of a club by the ciggie machine totally oblivious to anyone else.
Big Sound Authority - This House (Is Where Your Love Stands) No. 21 Jan 1985 Formed with the guiding hand of Paul Weller, who matched girl singer with band, Big Sound Authority had this one great hit. If only they'd kept going, they could have been the blueprint for rousing bands and kept the likes of Deacon Blue away.
The Passions - I'm In Love With a German Film Star No. 25 Jan 1981 In my 11 year old head, I used to get The Passions mixed up with Altered Images because the singers looked so similar. Little did I know I wasn't far off. One singer is Gogan and the other is Grogan. Oh, and watch this to forget about the Sam Taylor-Wood version...
Fresh from the second Parralox album State of Decay comes this thundering slab of gorgeousness. Go here to sample track after track of synth pop heaven. It seems like ages since Isn't It Strange was slated for a single release and with 15 other tracks on the EP version, no bloody wonder it's taken a while. This band add value!
This version, above in the video, is a perfect example of how Parralox have matured since their debut, Electricity, two years ago. With a neat little nod of respect to Serious Japanese by Melon and People are People by Depeche Mode, a theme which runs throughout the album, the band have carved a slice of classic synth pop. And what's more, there is a song at the heart of it. And do I detect the drum backing from Win's You've Got the Power there?
It's nice to see John taking his turn on vocals at the end, bless him, but on Isn't It Strange and across the whole of the State of Decay album, Amii deserves credit for her bravura performance. It's a pop voice with an edge; like Confessions Madonna with perfect Virgin Madonna harmonies. I must admit, the lead-off single Hotter, didn't light my world but in the context of the album it makes perfect sense. The magpie element running throughout State of Decay is clever. Sounds borrowed from the likes of Human League, Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Shannon on Hotter give the sense that the tracks are already classics in their own right. But then with an opening track like Beautiful World: pop verses, solid chorus and deluxe sounds, the album has a lot to live up to and it does, which is why, like Electricity, State of Decay actually sounds like a Greatest Hits collection; every track could be a single. Check out my absolute favourite When the Walls Come Tumbling Down below...
Once upon a time, a blogger, not too far from here, met a sparkling, luscious tranny full of joie de vivre. Little did he know, the tranny had a secret. It was a secret she'd kept to herself mostly but would bring out on special occasions. It was something she was unsure of herself but other people would marvel at. Undaunted, the blogger made her get it out and helped her see that it was indeed something amazing she should share with the world.
What was the secret? It wasn't anything she had under her wig. It wasn't even what she had under her frock (no cock, she's a woman playing a man, playing a woman, darling). It was the fact that she had a voice! A legit, belting voice capable of great things.
Well, the blogger is moi, and said tranny is the gorgeous Holestar pictured above. And actually, there are three of us embarking on this brilliant adventure. The first fruits of which is the single NyLon Woman which is out worldwide on iTunes, Amazon and Napster on 12th April. And do you know what's brilliant about all of this? We're doing it all with no money, no third party backing and no risk. All we have are ideas and the willing to make something out of nothing.
As for the video though, Holestar wanted a five day shoot, a multitude of costumes and a cast of thousands. Hmmm. Chatroulette it is then! If you've no budget, keep it clever, quirky and original...
But of course, even if you're creating something out of nothing, ultimately, people want something for nothing, so here we have it! Click on the link below for a FREE DOWNLOAD of this brand new remix. Bona!
Bona! This is a music blog. If there are any mp3 files uploaded which need to be taken down, get in touch! Also, email me if you have any music you want nice people to hear...
